


Vampire Sunrise

by Call_Me_Kiba



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Biting, Blood and Gore, Bottom Keith (Voltron), Consensual Sex, Dismemberment, Double Anal Penetration, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gentle Sex, Gore, Half vampire Keith, Human Pidge | Katie Holt, Hurt/Comfort, Keith (Voltron) Angst, Keith (Voltron) Whump, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Lance (Voltron), Protective Matt Holt, Protective Pidge | Katie Holt, Protective Shiro (Voltron), Self-Mutilation, Sexual Content, Spitroasting, Switch Lance (Voltron), Threesome - M/M/M, Top Shiro (Voltron), Torture, Touch-Starved Keith (Voltron), Vampire Lance (Voltron), Vampire Shiro (Voltron), Vent fic in the form of an au, Werewolf Hunk (Voltron), White-Haired Keith (Voltron), haggar and honerva are two separate people
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2019-10-14 07:09:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17503952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Call_Me_Kiba/pseuds/Call_Me_Kiba
Summary: Burning bright like a vampire sunriseAnd the angels fall from the skyNova's burning bright





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm...not sure if this fic will stay. Will depend on the feedback I get from it.
> 
> Inspired by: Vampire Sunrise by Boy Epic (Halloween edition)

“I don't know, Pidge….”

 

“Oh, come on, Keith. You haven't been out of that apartment in weeks!”

 

“Hey! I've been out!” Keith crossed his arms over his chest.

 

Pidge scoffed from the other side of the screen. “Going to that little café down the road doesn't count! You can't live off coffee and muffins, Keith!”

 

Shit. She got him there. Keith pouted, rubbing a hand over his face. He didn't want to go anywhere, he could be found if he went outside for long periods of time. He bit his lip, which gave away what he was feeling to his sister.

 

“Keith, bro, he won't find you. I promise. You're miles away from him, and there is  _ no possible  _ way he could track you.” her expression softened. “I know it's only been a few months since we got you out, but...I can't let you stay cooped up all the time. It's just a nightclub Matt and I go to, close to the college. We won't let you out of our sight.”

 

Keith stared at her, tugging on his sleeve. He didn't even know if he was ready, was going to ever be ready. But, he trusted Pidge and Matt. They got him out, kept him safe, and they didn't ask much in return.

 

It paid to be adopted by vampire hunters.

 

“I….alright…what time…” Keith averted his gaze to a spot on the wall.

 

“We'll come pick you up at 10pm. Actually, scratch that. I'm coming over now. I can't trust you to dress like a normal person.”

 

“Huh? What time is it?” Keith blinked, looking for his clock. “Hey! Wait a minute! I dress normal!”

 

“Seriously? Dude it's 5pm! Definitely coming over now. And you dress like your homeless.” Pidge got up, getting some things around her room. “MATT! COME ON, OUR DISASTER GAY NEEDS US!”

 

“Pidge! I'm not a disaster!” Keith pouted more, huffing when Pidge gave him a look. “And I don't dress like I'm homeless. Excuse me for not keeping up with this past decades fashion trends.”

 

She gave him an impish grin. “We'll be there in 5.” with that, she closed their Skype call.

 

Keith sighed, leaning back into his chair. Great. Perfect. Fantastic. Did he even have anything decent to wear? Most of his clothes were destroyed. The only things he had really to his name besides this apartment were an oversized hoodie, a few pairs of sweatpants, and one pair of converse that were so worn out he had to keep them together with duct tape.

 

Maybe he was a disaster.

 

Groaning at the impending shit show Pidge called going through his closet, he decided on a shower. They had a key, so he knew they would just let themselves in.

 

Slowly, begrudgingly, he got out of his chair. He hadn't showered in a few days, and he felt gross. So that was first before Pidge found out and just sprayed him with a super soaker like she did last time.

 

Keith peeled his clothes off and stepped under the warm spray of the shower, sighing contentedly. He tried his best to ignore the ropey scars as he washed. The downfall to being half vampire was, well, everything. All the perks of being human and vampire rolled into one. He wasn't turned, like most vampires. He was  _ born  _ one, vampire father and human mother. Keith's very existence was taboo, and it caused the death of his mother and father.

 

He shut the water off, hearing Pidge and Matt argue outside. Keith groaned when the rustling of bags was also heard.

 

“You better be decent, I'm coming in!” 

 

“No wait Pidge I'm naked!” Keith grabbed his towel before the little gremlin barged in, wrapping it quickly around his waist.

 

“Yeah, yeah. We've already seen what you got, and trust us, we aren't impressed.” Pidge smirked at him, dropping the bags down on the counter near the sink.

 

“What's all that?” Keith pushed back his hair, grumbling at the snowy locks. Always so unruly.

 

“New clothes, dude.” Matt hopped onto the counter, grinning at him. “You seriously need a new wardrobe.”

 

“Guy, why? I don't-” Keith started, but Pidge cut him off.

 

“No. Shoosh. You are going out tonight, and you're going to have fun. Who knows, maybe you'll meet someone.” she winked, but Keith glowered at her.

 

“I don't want to meet anyone...I'm fine.” he huffed, dragging the closest bag to him and rifling through it.

 

“Bullshit. How long have we known each other?” Matt didn't look up from his phone.

 

“Almost 15 years? I think?” Keith frowned, pulling out the clothes and looking them over. “Dude, all of these are  _ so  _ not me…they're so….revealing.”

 

“Keith, buddy, broseph. They're better than that dingy hoodie you own. We got you a new one of those too. Don't worry, it's oversized.” Pidge nudged a pair of skinny jeans and a band tee at him. “We got you new shoes as well.”

 

“....this looks expensive.” Keith frowned, but ushered them out before they could protest.

 

Finally. Some peace. He stared at the clothes, they even got him new underwear. Huh. They were too good to him.

 

The clothes fit, surprisingly. Meaning Pidge had gone through his closets again the last time she was here. Little shit. As soon as Keith looked at himself in the mirror, he immediately pulled on the new hoodie. He was fucking hideous, all boney and scarred and pale. White hair and freakish purple eyes, slightly pointed ears. He couldn't hide them, but he was lucky his hair was long enough to hide his ears.

 

Keith steeled himself, and exited the bathroom. Pidge and Matt looked up, bright grins on their faces.

 

“Finally! You look like you care about yourself!” Pidge clapped, throwing a shoe box in Keith's direction.

 

“Ha. Ha ha.” Keith rolled his eyes, slipping on the brand new red converse. “....thanks, by the way.”

 

“Anything for our favorite little brother.” Matt patted him on the shoulder, leading the reluctant half breed out of his apartment. 

 

“I'm older than both of you combined.” Keith raised his eyebrow.

 

“Details, details. This is gonna be fun!” Pidge held his arm as they walked. “First things first, food.”

 

Keith smiled gently. Maybe it would be fun, Keith thought. The fresh air smelled amazing, the evening summer breeze warming his cool skin.

 

He really did need to get out more.


	2. Chapter 2

“You drive like a goddamn maniac.” Pidge grumbled as she got out of Matt's car. A little four door beat’em up, Matt's baby, as he called it.

 

“Hey I told you two to buckle up.” Matt stretched when he got out.

 

Keith didn't say anything as he slowly got out of the backseat. Truthfully, the ride made him nauseous. But he wasn't going to admit that. The scent of fast food wafted into his nose, and it made his stomach turn.

 

“Burgers?” Keith grimaced. They were always so greasy.

 

“Yeah, Matt didn't eat dinner.” Pidge jerked her thumb towards her brother as he ran off into the restaurant. She narrowed her eyes at Keith. “Did you eat?”

 

Keith shifted, shoving his hands into his pockets. “.....I had takeout a few nights ago.”

 

“You know what I mean.” she crossed her arms, giving him that look.

 

“........” he stayed silent, and Pidge studied his face before realization made her gasp.

 

“Keith Kogane!” she hissed, getting closer to avoid eavesdroppers. “You're seriously going to stand there and tell me you haven't fed in  _ four  _ months?!”

 

“I...it drains you guys! I can't- you need your energy! What if you get a call?” Keith hunched his shoulders, acutely aware of the eyes on him trying to get a look at the freak with the white hair. “I- hate using my thrall on people. I can't, risk him finding me again Pidge I just can't…”

 

Her expression softens, and she brings a hand to cup his unmarred cheek. “Keith, you know we have resources to help you. You can't keep being stubborn. I should have known you haven't been feeding, you look like shit. Which is why we're taking you to the nightclub.”

 

Keith's eyes snap up when Pidge moved and opened the trunk, pulling out a box of, masks?

 

“What are those for?” Keith frowned as Matt jogged back over to them with a bag of food.

 

“The nightclub, since you only feed when we force you to.” Pidge started rummaging through the box, grumbling to herself.

 

“Wait, you haven't fed? How long?” Matt took a bite of his burger, watching Pidge.

 

“Four months ago. You know, the week we got him out.” Pidge scowled, finding what she was looking for.

 

“What the fuck?!  _ Keith _ !”

 

He ignored Matt, staring at the mask Pidge was holding. It looked like one of those kabuki masks Keith had seen once or twice on the television. This one was the shape of a wolf's head, black with sleek blue lines. Keith titled his head at it. The colors reminded him of the night sky.

 

“Wait, what kind of club is this? Why do I need a mask?” he took it from Pidge, looking it over. It would cover his face, but his lips and chin would be visible. At least it covers the scar on his cheek. He still couldn't get the hang on makeup.

 

“If you're worried, don't be. Kolivan runs it. It's uh, one of  _ those  _ clubs. Ya know, with the back rooms. So anonymity is like, super important.” Pidge pushed her glasses up.

 

“What the fuck- no. No way. I'm not going.” Keith tried to hand the mask back as Matt ushered him back into the car.

 

“You're going. All you need to do is thrall some rando, feed, and leave. No one will see your face, and it's not like they'll remember it anyway. Kolivan burns like, a fuck ton of incense and sage and all that shit so if there are other vampires in there, there's no way they can smell you.” Pidge climbed into the passenger seat, throwing something else into Keith's lap. “What did we tell you about forgetting this?”

 

Keith glowered at her, slowly putting the necklace on. It helped hide some of his features, like his smell and made him look a little more human, but it reeked of magic and witch. At least it wasn't gaudy. A simple, black leather choker with a small purple gem dangling from the ring on the front. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared out the window. He hadn't found a blood type that tasted good to him. The Holt siblings tasted alright, but Keith didn't like how drained they were after. It took them days to recover.

 

“I can hear you thinking, Keith. We just want to help.” Pidge turned to face him, giving him a gentle smile.

 

Keith side glanced her. He knew that, it still confused him as to why, but he knew that. If they wanted to kill him, they would have by now. The Holts were well known hunters, just uttering their name could send younger creatures scattering. Keith wasn't young by his standards, but he was still considered new to the older vampires he's been around. He shuddered at the thought of  _ them _ , crossing his arms tighter around his chest.

 

“You still have nightmares, don't you?” Matt looked at him through the rear view mirror.

 

His silence told them the answer, and Keith sighed.

 

“Let's just….get tonight over with…”

 

It was sunset by the time they made it to the club, Matt grumbling about road work and traffic. Keith reluctantly put the mask on when he got out of the car, shoving his hands back into his pockets. He could smell the sage from outside the as they waited in line, Pidge and Matt in their own masks. The bouncer let them in, not even looking at them twice.

 

God, he hated the smell of sage.

 

The music was just loud enough that you had to get close to someone to hear them, and Pidge pulled him down by the collar of his hoodie.

 

“We have some business to take care of. Just sit at the bar, we'll come find you later.”

 

“Wha- you said you would stay with me!”

 

“You'll be fine! And feed, you train wreck!” with that, they both disappeared into the crowd.

 

Keith sighed, finding a place to sit at the bar. He ordered whiskey on the rocks, not looking up when the bartender handed him his drink. He suddenly wasn't hungry.

 

\---------------------------------

 

In a corner booth, Lance slid into Shiro's lap as they looked over the crowded dance floor.

 

“That one?”

 

“No, we might break him. That one?”

 

“Ew. Even with all this sage in the air, I can  _ still  _ smell the plastic on her. Not tasty.” Lance huffed, nosing his mates cheek behind his mask. “Come on, Shiro. Why do we need to look for food here? Can't we go somewhere else? Alcoholic blood is disgusting.”

 

“You know this is the only place Allura will let us feed.” Shiro gave Lance a firm squeeze on his ass, looking around again. “Just pick someone.”

 

“You know damn well we're gonna do more than feed. Pickings are slim tonight.” Lance pouted. “What about Jason and Tammy? They taste good.”

 

“Nope. Can't anymore.” Shiro hissed when Lance ground his hips down.

 

“Why not?”

 

“Tammy's pregnant. Can't risk it.”

 

“Oh. Well, about time. Jason's wanted kids for a while now.” Lance whined, gripping the fabric of Shiro's shirt. “God, why can't we just, find someone that will let us take care of them? Keep them home and make them feel special.”

 

“Yeah, cause that goes well: “Hey, my mate and I want you to join our relationship. Oh, by the way, we're vampires. Hope that's ok.” Be serious, I'm hungry.” Shiro held Lance's hips to stop him from grinding.

 

“But can't you picture it? Someone waiting for us to get home, on their own free will. No more thralling some poor bastard into our bed. They let us feed from them and they just love us in retur-” Lance paused, head shooting up when more people entered the club. “Well, helloooo legs, ass, thighs, and hips.”

 

Shiro followed his gaze, watching the newcomer talk to their friends and walk slowly to the bar when they were left alone. Honestly, the wolf mask caught Shiro's eye first. It was beautiful. Maybe that stark white hair came with the mask. He raked his eyes over them, and grinned.

 

“Something we can agree on. Let's go keep them company.”

 

They both got up, stalking towards the bar with intent. The person didn't look up when they sat down, one on each side of them.

 

“Mind if we join you?” Shiro purred, leaning his elbow on the bar.

 

The person jumped, snapping his gaze from his glass to Shiro. Those bright purple eyes made him pause, and Shiro thought his heart skipped a beat.

 

“Uh, sure? Wait. We?” they looked to his other side, seeing Lance. Lance must have thought the same thing about those eyes if his jaw dropping was anything to go by.

 

Lance shook his head, smiling. “My name’s Lance.”

 

“I'm Shiro.”

 

“So, what does a cutie like you go by, hm?” Lance leaned closer.

 

“Um….Keith.” he gulped, not missing how Lance traced the bob of his Adam's apple. “I'm Keith.”

 

“Well, Keith.” Shiro grabbed his attention, his voice low and rumbling. “Are you here all alone?”

 

“N-no. My friends are around here somewhere.” Keith took a sip of his drink, staring at the bar.

 

Shiro blinked. His thrall, didn't work? It  _ always  _ worked. He shot a look to Lance.

 

_ “My thrall didn't work. You try it.”  _ Shiro grumbled through their connection.

 

_ “Seriously? What the hell?”  _

 

“They left you all alone?” Lance tutted, leaning in closer to Keith and rubbing a hand along his back. “We can keep you company, if you want.”

 

Keith flinched so hard he almost spilled his glass, getting off the bar stool.

 

“Uh, I'm….I need some fresh air.” Keith went to turn away, but Shiro caught him by his sleeve.

 

“W-wait. We didn't mean to scare you.” he was stammering. What was this? He hasn't felt this way since he met Lance.

 

“Yeah. We, uh, just thought you looked lonely.” Lance gently tugged Keith back toward the barstool, swallowing. Fuck, with all this sage in the air, Lance couldn't smell Keith. What was this guy doing to them?!

 

Keith blinked, tugging back away. He didn't like being crowded, not that Shiro and Lance weren't attractive. He wished he could see their faces, but what he could see had his cheeks heating up. No way is he falling for two complete strangers at a bar.

 

“I….should go. Really, I need to leave.” Keith tugged his arm free, but Lance slipped a piece of paper into Keith's hand. He didn't give them time to say goodbye, darting his way through the people.

 

Lance and Shiro blinked, looking from the door to each other and turning into their connection. 

 

_ “Did...we just let someone get away?”  _ Lance gawked.

 

_ “.....I think so? Our thralls didn't work. They always work. What happened?”  _ Shiro rubbed the back of his head, frowning.

 

_ “No idea. But, you felt it too, right?”  _

 

_ “Yeah…”  _

 

They looked to the door again before getting up and picking someone off the dance floor, leading the poor entranced soul to the back rooms.

 

_ “Don't worry, I slipped him my phone number. Hopefully we'll see him again.”  _ Lance winked at his mate, and Shiro chuckled.

 

_ “Hopefully.” _

 

\-----------------------------

 

Keith sprinted all the way back to his apartment, not stopping until he was safe inside and the door locked. He ripped the mask off, placing it on the counter as he walked by. What the fuck was that? People  _ never  _ looked at him twice, and if they did, it was out of disgust. He paused, turning back around to look through the peephole on his door. No one followed him. Good. Meaning they didn't know what he was.

 

A crinkling sound in his hand made him look down. Paper? When did that get there? Keith unfolded it, and blinked in surprise.

 

_ Call me ;)  _

 

_ -Lance _

 

A phone number was under Lance's name. Did this guy actually give his number to someone he knew for five minutes? Keith worried his bottom lip with his teeth as he made his way to the couch. Should, should he at least let them know he was home safe? What was he supposed to do with this? They had backed off when he made it clear he was uncomfortable, so he reasoned they couldn't be that bad. Clubs were apparently just not Keith's thing.

 

He pulled out his phone, ignoring the wall of missed calls and texts from Matt and Pidge. Keith saved Lance's number, opening a new message.

 

**_Keith to Lance- 11:59pm_ **

 

**_K:_ ** _ Hey, uh, it's Keith. I made it home safe, if you guys were wondering. Sorry if this is weird…. _

 

**_Pidge to Keith- 11:45pm_ **

 

**_P:_ ** _ WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU KOGANE?! I SWEAR TO GOD- _

 

**_K:_ ** _ I'm home. _

 

**_Pidge is typing…._ **

 

Keith tossed his phone on the charger, putting it on silent and crawling into bed. His stomach rumbled, but he ignored it, pulling his heavy blanket over himself.

 

A thought crossed his mind, and he sat up, staring at the wall and whispering to no one.

 

“Wait, did I just get hit on?”

 

No. There was no way they were hitting on him. It just, wasn't possible. Keith laid back down and turned to his side, gripping his blanket tightly. He closed his eyes, hoping he would get a decent amount of sleep this time. He would need it for the ass reaming he was going to get from the Holts tomorrow.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Keith flailed under his blanket, sitting up and gasping. He patted himself down, making sure his limbs were still there. No new wounds, that's good. It was a dream. Nightmares were frequent since he escaped, which is why he lived on coffee and muffins and energy drinks. Aside from blood, of course. He gripped at his bangs, folding over until he was almost bent in half. He was starving, he should have eaten. Maybe he still had something in his fridge.

 

Slowly, he uncurled himself. His phone lit up with more messages. He wanted to ignore them, but if he continued to ignore the Holts they would just give him hell for it. It was still dark outside, who was messaging him this early? Keith let himself fall back onto his bed, reaching for his phone.

 

**_Lance to Keith: 6:23am_ **

 

**_L:_ ** _ We're glad! And no, lol, it isn't weird at all. Oh wait, hang on. _

 

**_Lance added Shiro to the conversation:_ **

 

**_L:_ ** _ There! Now all three of us can talk ;))))))) _

 

**_S:_ ** _ Glad you made it safely, Keith. We were worried about you walking home alone. _

 

**_L:_ ** _ Message us when you wake up! :***** _

 

Keith rubbed his eyes, staring at the screen. Should….should he just, have a normal conversation? When was the last time he talked to anyone other than the Holts?

 

Well, here goes nothing.

 

**_K:_ ** _ you don't have to worry about me. I can handle myself. :) _

 

**_L:_ ** _ Keith! Why are you up so early??? Did you sleep well??? _

 

**_K:_ ** _ uh….early riser? _

 

**_L:_ ** _ lol I bet you are ;))) but did you sleep well? _

 

**_K:_ ** _ never do lol _

 

**_L:_ ** _ :(((((( awwwwww _

 

Keith let himself smile, getting out of bed. He slipped his hoodie on and some sweatpants, walking out to the balcony after getting an energy drink from his fridge. He was all out of blood bags, which sucked. Meaning he had to ask for more. Which sucked. He sighed, chugging his drink and grimacing before opening his phone again.

 

**_Keith to Pidge: 6:45am_ **

 

**_K:_ ** _ uhh...sorry about last night. _

 

Keith watched the sunrise, and he jumped a little when he heard Pidge's ringtone from inside his apartment. Frowning, he got up and followed the sound to find the youngest Holt sleeping on his couch. Keith's lips quirked up a little as he pulled a blanket over her, but he paused when he noticed the veins in Pidge's neck.

 

Keith ripped his eyes away, stepping back and walking quickly to his room and locking the door. Fuck, he was more hungry than he thought. He slid until he was sat in front of the door. A ping from his phone served a thankful distraction.

 

**_Shiro to Keith: 7:30am_ **

 

**_S:_ ** _ Good morning, Keith. Why don't you sleep well? _

 

**_K:_ ** _ umm….nightmares, usually. Nothing major. _

 

**_S:_ ** _ Oh. I know how those go lol. If you ever need to, you can always call us if you have one. _

 

**_L:_ ** _ yeah!!! Nightmares can be scary! _

 

Keith blinked. They can't be serious. They didn't even know what he looked like!

 

**_K:_ ** _ …...uh, thank you? But...you guys don't even know what I look like, and I don't know what you two look like. Why are you being so nice? _

 

**_Lance sent photo.jpeg_ **

 

**_L:_ ** _ There!!!! ;))) I'm on the left, Shiro's on the right! _

 

Keith clicked on photo, and immediately blushed.

 

_ ‘Oh no, they're hot.’ _

 

He couldn't tell which one looked better; Shiro with his black hair and white forelock, dark eyes,  _ oh sweet jesus those muscles _ . Or Lance with his ocean blue eyes, tanned skin, tall with a slim build  _ but he could tell there was muscle definition underneath _ , dark brown hair. Keith couldn't stop staring, until he noticed the rings on their fingers.

 

**_K:_ ** _ you're…..married? _

 

**_L:_ ** _ Yeah, but we're open ;) _

 

**_S:_ ** _ We've been looking for a third, actually. Interested? _

 

Keith almost dropped his phone. They just met last night, there had to be a catch. Right? This was moving quickly. But, how quick is it really when time doesn't apply to you?

 

**_K:_ ** _ you...you don't know what I look like. How can you be sure? We just met last night! _

 

**_S:_ ** _ You're eyes. _

 

**_K:_ ** _ what? _

 

**_L:_ ** _ you're eyes, cutie. That's what caught us. We wanna see more. _

 

**_K:_ ** _ im….really fucking ugly though. Like, camera shattering. _

 

Keith closed the messenger as Shiro and Lance blew it up, opening the camera. He gulped, pulling the collar of his hoodie up to cover his face up to his nose. His hair framed his face, tumbling and curling slightly in places. With a deep sigh, he gave his best dreamy eyed look and snapped the photo. He sent it quickly before he could change his mind.

 

**_L:_ ** _!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!! YOUR HAIR IS NATURALLY WHITE?! YOU'RE SO CUTE I CAN'T!!!!! _

 

**_S:_ ** _ Oh, my, god. You're adorable. _

 

He bit his lip, just staring at the screen. This, was weird. Keith's ear twitched to the sound of movement in the living room. Pidge was awake, Matt came in. He sighed. Better go get yelled at for disappearing. He rose from his spot and went to investigate.

 

“There you are, you dick head!” Pidge chucked a pillow at him. “You had us worried sick!”

 

“Hey you said you wouldn't leave me alone! And everything turned out fine.” Keith placed the pillow back on the couch, crossing his arms. “Why are you on my couch anyway?”

 

“We were worried about you. So we came over. That, and we need a sample again.” Matt pointed to the briefcase on the table.

 

Keith sighed, grumbling as he took a seat, slapping his arm up onto the table. He watched as Matt got things ready. Keith didn't know what they needed his blood for, but it was their asking price for everything they do for him. So he never complained. He turned his head away when Matt rolled his sleeve up, not wanting to look at the scars on his arm. A tourniquet was wrapped around his upper arm, and his ears twitched when he heard Matt pull on gloves.

 

“So, did you at least eat?” the older Holt tapped and prodded the crook of Keith's arm in search for a vein.

 

“......yes.” Keith huffed.

 

“Uh huh. Sure you did. That's why we brought you some.” Pidge glared at him from where she stood by the fridge.

 

Keith winced a bit at the needle, but Matt was done before he could blink again. They didn't bother with the bandaid, the needle mark healing shut in another blink.

 

“Man, that is still so fucking cool. Like your blood dude. I can't believe it can shine gold like that.” Matt swirled the syringe, watching Keith's blood glisten.

 

“Can you not? It's not that exciting….” Keith let his arm fall into his lap, looking away from Matt. He's seen enough of his blood outside of his body in his lifetime, he didn't need to see it now.

 

Pidge frowned, moving closer and handing Keith a bag of blood. “Don't worry, it's fresh. Still warm.”

 

He took the bag slowly, not meeting their eyes as his lips pulled back, revealing his fangs and sinking them into the bag. Keith failed to contain a soft moan as the thick liquid filled his mouth. He drained the bag quickly, and it didn't feel like enough.

 

“Do you need more?” Matt gave him a look, and Keith knew that look. That look meant that one of them was willing to slice their arm open so he could get his fill.

 

“No. I'm fine.” Keith wiped his mouth on his sleeve, still not looking up. He would never admit it, but sometimes he still felt like he was trapped. Contained like some animal that needed watched and tested on. They must have sensed his unease, collecting their things quickly.

 

“Well, if you're sure…” Matt smiled at him. “We'll check on you later, ok?”

 

Keith nodded, ear twitching as they left him in silence. He didn't know how long he sat there, staring at the wall. The fear of being found, the nightmares, it was all getting to him. He hated being cooped up in this little apartment by himself all the time. His phone pinged again, and he brought it out of his pocket.

 

**_Lance and Shiro to Keith: 12:45pm_ **

 

**_L:_ ** _ Hey cutie, wanna meet up sometime today? _

 

**_S:_ ** _ We're free unless work calls us. We would love to talk with you, without the masks. :) _

 

Keith gave a shaky sigh. Might as well do this. What does he have to lose? He sent them the location of his favorite café and a time, tossing his phone onto the couch and making his way to the shower. He let his mind blank out, pulling on his clothes after drying off. Keith stopped, thinking twice before he grabbed his choker, a beanie, and his sunglasses. Better safe than sorry.

 

He double checked if he had everything before leaving the apartment, checking three times to make sure he locked the door. Stupid habits born out if paranoia.

 

It was a cloudy day, nice breeze. It felt nice. His café was just down the street, a little mom and pop shop. The owners were nice, a young couple. Jason and Tammy Rogers. They always kept the corner booth by the window open for Keith since he was a repeat customer.

 

He was greeted with the scent of coffee and baked goods as soon as he opened the door, soft music playing in the background. They were a bit busy today, it seemed, so he just took up his normal seat.

 

Keith watched the traffic go by, people walk down the sidewalk. Jason brought him coffee and his favorite muffin, smiling more than usual. Keith didn't need to ask, he knew their good news.

 

Hours passed, with no word from Shiro or Lance. He was getting worried. Maybe, they changed their mind. Wouldn't surprise him, and it wouldn't be the first time getting stood up. It's always the eyes and the hair that turn people away first. Keith had given up a long time ago, during his imprisonment at Lotor's keep. 

 

The sun set by the time Tammy had to tell him they were closing. She was such a sweet woman, giving him a caring expression.

 

“Were you waiting for someone?”

 

Keith shook his head slowly, giving her a lopsided smile and paying for his food before walking out. Maybe Shiro and Lance were too good to be true. He should have known better- 

 

His phone pinged.

 

**_Shiro to Keith: 7pm_ **

 

**_S:_ ** _ omg Keith we are so sorry! We had a call, can we reschedule? Please? We really want to see you, I swear! _

 

Keith bit his lip, weaving through the evening crowd as he walked back to his apartment. His eyes darted around out of habit before landing back on his phone.

 

**_K:_ ** _ K. _

 

He shoved his phone back into his hoodie pocket. Being stood up hurt, it always did. But he decided to give this another shot. He had all the time in the world.

 

Keith wanted to at least know what real love felt like before they found out what he was and ran for the hills.

 

\----------------------------

 

“Oh no, Shiro he just sent “K”. He's heartbroken I can tell!” Lance whined, setting down the phone and going back to making sure his mate was healing properly.

 

Shiro drained the vial Sam gave him, wincing as he felt his skin knit back together. “We couldn't help it. Those rogues were too close to the city.”

 

“Still…” Lance huffed, downing his own vial. “Man, we really need to get Sam to tell us what he puts in this stuff.”

 

“You know he won't. Allura says it's classified. Are Matt and Pidge ok?” Shiro peeled his tattered shirt off, tossing it into a corner.

 

“Yeah, they didn't get too hurt. Nothing some rest won't take care of. Humans are so fragile.” Lance sighed, leaning against Shiro. “Do you think Keith is that fragile?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Like, if he wants to be with us, and finds out we're vampires. Do you think he'll run from us?”

 

Shiro paused, sighing softly. “I can't answer that, babe. We just, have to give it a shot and find out what that spark was.”

 

Lance kissed Shiro's cheek, texting the new date and time to Keith. Hopefully, rogues would keep to themselves for a while.


	4. Chapter 4

Keith didn't know what time of day he liked the best, but he favored the sunrise. The hope of a new day always seemed to keep him going. The morning air was cool on his skin as he sat on his balcony, watching the sky and listening to the rustle of leaves. His ear twitched to the sounds of his neighbor moving about their apartment. Mr. Bigsby was nice, and luckily blind as a bat. The old man kept to himself.

 

The branches of the nearby tree rustled a little more. Keith looked up in time to see the local street cat climbing her way to him. He smiled.

 

“Hey, Red. Where’ve you been?” he reached his hand out as the large cat mrowed at him, circling around his legs. Keith figured she was bigger than normal cats, very fluffy, and her fur was almost a mahogany color. Hence the name.

 

Red crawled into his lap and plopped, purring loudly. Keith often wondered if she had an owner, but somehow she only showed up when Keith was feeling low. He enjoyed the cat's company. Keith sighed deeply, resting his hand on Red's back.

 

“I don't know what to do Red…what if they don't like me?” Keith pouted. “What if they get scared of me? Like how the hell do you tell someone: “Hey, I'm a dhampir, but can we still date?” I'm….scared. Last time I “dated” someone I ended up with more blood outside my body than in it.”

 

Red looked up at him, purring louder.

 

“Now I have two people that are interested.  _ Two _ ! They haven't even seen my face!” Keith brushed his hair off his face. “Maybe I'm not ready. Is it too soon? How soon is too soon when your immortal? What do you think-mrf!”

 

Keith sputtered when Red got up and rubbed her face against his, trying her best to climb up his chest and smother him in fur. He picked her up and stared at her.

 

“You know what, you're right. I should just….go with the flow. Whatever happens, I'll just fucking run away again. And I'll bring you with me.”

 

Red simply made a churupping noise, wiggling in his grip until he set her down in his lap. He was hopefully going to meet Shiro and Lance today. The whole week had been stressful, he hated waiting. Keith watched the sunrise before he decided to get ready. They were going to meet at the park, but if he left soon he would have time to draw. He gently ushered Red out of his lap, smiling when she followed him inside. He grabbed his left over take out and set it down on the counter for her.

 

“You know, maybe I should ask the Holts to get me some actual cat food for you.”

 

He received no answer in response as the cat dug in, mrowling as she ate. Such a weirdo.

 

Keith shrugged, moving about the apartment and getting ready. He picked out his outfit carefully, laying it out on his bed and staring. God what if this all went to shit? They were going to see his face. Keith absently traced the scar on his cheek, frowning. Maybe they wouldn't care.

 

He stood in front of the mirror after getting dressed, slipping on his choker. Keith watched as the gem glowed softly, the magic making his ears less pointed, removing the black in his sclera, and blunting his fangs. Part of him wished he could do this himself, but he would do whatever it took to hide. He still looked….less than human. Otherworldly. At least he didn't fucking sparkle in the sunlight. That would be downright embarrassing. 

 

Keith pulled his hair back into a loose ponytail, covering his head with a beanie. Gathering up his sketchbook and his backpack, Keith headed for the door.

 

“Red, are you staying in here?” Keith turned to where the feline was curled up on the couch. “I guess that's a yes. I'll be back later ok?”

 

A smile tugged at his lips when she meowed at him, and he locked the door as he headed out and pulled on his sunglasses.

 

God he needed actual friends. Keith was pretty sure having full blown conversations with a cat wasn't healthy.

 

He shoved his hands into his pocket as he walked to the park. People stared, moved out of his way as they passed him. His skin itched with the urge to run back to his apartment and hide, but he needed to do this. Keith was sick of feeling trapped, and sick of the secrets he knew the Holts were keeping from him. He just, didn't have a choice but to trust them.

 

Besides the café, the park was his favorite place in town. Lots of trees, a little creek, and a perfect view of the mountains. Keith found his preferred spot under one of the many pine trees and pulled out his sketchbook, turning to an unfinished drawing of the landscape. He let his mind wander as he drew, eyes darting up every now and then to get as many details as he could.

 

Keith thought he heard his phone go off, but he was so engrossed into his sketch that he didn't notice it. Nor did he notice the two people walking up to him-

 

“Whoa. That's amazing.”

 

The sound Keith made as he jumped and fumbled his sketchbook was almost laughable. His head shot up, and he felt his cheeks burn when he saw Shiro and Lance standing over him.

 

“Heh, surprise. You really  _ are  _ cuter without that mask on.” Lance grinned at him as Shiro extended a hand to help him up. Keith took it cautiously and stood.

 

“Um...h-hi…” fuck, Keith was nervous. They looked better in person. Oh god here comes the disaster gay mode.

 

Lance groaned and pulled him into a tight hug. “God how are you this cute?! It should he a crime!”

 

“Lance, relax. You're gonna scare him off.” Shiro rolled his eyes before bending down and picking up Keith's sketchbook, studying the page it had opened to. “Is this us?”

 

Keith's cheeks were on fire. Damn it. “Y-yeah. Sorry- I mean, your masks were cool, and-”

 

“Wow. When did you do this? Do you take classes or something?” Lance leaned over to look with Shiro, blinking in surprise.

 

“A-after I left the club. I couldn't sleep so…” Keith frowned. “Is that weird?”

 

“No!” they both said at the same time, handing the book back to Keith.

 

“I mean, I think it's endearing-”

 

“Adorable-”

 

They continued to stutter, and all Keith could do was stare. Why were they so nervous?

 

“Anyway!” Shiro cleared his throat. “You have us for as long as you want, under one condition.”

 

Keith tilted his head, and Lance practically squealed. The dhampir flinched and squeezed his eyes shut when Shiro removed his beanie, Lance removed his sunglasses and tucked the loose hair behind his ear. Keith waited for pain, the rejection, but when it didn't come, he slowly cracked his eyes open.

 

They were staring at him, eyes wide and jaws slack. Keith couldn't find a hint of disgust in their expressions. He bit his lip, nervous again.

 

“Are, are you guys alright? Is there something on my face? B-besides the scar-” Keith stammered, averting his eyes. They were going to reject him he just knew it-

 

“You're gorgeous.”

 

“What?” Keith blinked, looking up at them again. Curse his height, though he was only a little shorter than Lance and Shiro.

 

“You. You're gorgeous.” Shiro cupped his cheek, gently thumbing the scar there.

 

“How can you hide such a pretty face? Who told you that you were ugly?” Lance ran his fingers through Keith's ponytail, frowning a bit when Keith looked away from them.

 

“Well, what do you want to do?”

 

The smiles they gave Keith were blinding, and he felt his heart skip a beat.

 

Oh boy, he had it bad already.

 

\------------------------------------------

 

Keith flopped onto the couch as soon as he got home, taking off his choker and sighing in content. The date went  _ amazing.  _ Shiro and Lance were so nice, complete gentlemen. They spent the day walking the park, getting food, simple things Keith hadn't done in centuries.

 

He was smitten. Hard.

 

Red purred next to him, fast asleep. His happy silence was interrupted by a ping from his computer. Groaning, he got up and made his way to the monitor, answering the call from Matt.

 

“Hey, where've you been all day? Pidge tried to call you.” Matt frowned at him.

 

“I was uh, out.” Keith huffed and crossed his arms. He didn't need a fucking babysitter all the time. 

 

“Out?” Matt raised his eyebrow. “Doing what?”

 

“......nothing-” Keith heard his phone go off, and he smiled like a love struck fool when he read the message from Lance and Shiro. He jumped a little when Matt gasped.

 

“You're smiling! Like, a real smile!” Matt gawked. “Did you meet someone?!”

 

“Y...yes…”

 

“Wait, where? How?” the older Holt sibling looked worried. “They aren't vampires, are they?”

 

“They didn't smell like vampires….” Keith bit his lip.

 

“Oh fu- they aren't hunters, are they?!”

 

Keith looked away, and Matt leaned closer to his screen.

 

“Keith!”

 

“Oh, fuck  _ off  _ Matt! They were nice, and they don't know what I am! Let me have this!” Keith growled at the Holt, fangs bared. Matt sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

 

“Can I at least know their names?”

 

“....Shiro and Lance.” Keith patted his lap when Red came to join him. He looked up when Matt took a sharp inhale. “What?”

 

“Just, got a call. We'll talk later.” Matt closed the chat, leaving Keith flabbergasted.

 

“What's his problem?” Keith looked down at Red. The feline just yawned.

 

\-------------------------------------

 

“Oh my  _ god  _ Hunk, he's adorable!” Lance swooned, watching his best friend cook dinner as Shiro continued to text Keith.

 

“You guys seem really into him. You just met him a week ago, right? At the club?” Hunk held his hand out, and Lance placed a spice jar in it.

 

“Dude, his eyes, his hair, his  _ smile  _ holy shit! Hermano, we have never been so into someone!” Lance sighed, a dreamy look on his face.

 

“Well, what's his name?”

 

Before Lance could open his mouth, they heard the front door slam open.

 

“WHERE THE FUCK ARE THEY?!”

 

“Oh boy...Holt tantrum. Who pissed them off this time?” Hunk groaned, not even flinching when Matt stormed into the kitchen and hauled Shiro up by the collar of his shirt.

 

“Hey-” Shiro fumbled with his phone, catching it before it fell.

 

“You promised to not thrall anyone we knew!” Matt snarled at the vampire, Pidge coming in shortly after.

 

“What are you talking about?” Lance frowned, backing up when Pidge advanced on him.

 

“We didn't thrall anyone you know-” Shiro didn't move yet, staring Matt down.

 

“I swear to god, Lance if you two plan on hurting him-” 

 

“Who are you talking about?” Lance held his hands up in a gesture of peace.

 

“ _ Keith _ !” the Holt siblings exclaimed simultaneously.

 

The two vampires paused, eyes going wide. “You know Keith?”

 

“He didn't mention us?”

 

“No, how the fuck were we supposed to know!?” Lance lowered his hands.

 

“We didn't thrall him, we promise. It didn't work on him for some reason. How do you know him?” Shiro raised an eyebrow. 

 

Before the Holt’s could answer, the alarm went off. Allura's voice fluttering over the speaker system.

 

_ “We have a situation. Report to the meeting room.” _

 

Matt and Pidge glared at the vampires. “We aren't done talking.”

 

Shiro and Lance nodded, looking at each other before running to the meeting room.

 

\-------------------------

 

Keith pouted when he phone had gone silent, meaning Shiro and Lance had a call for whatever they did. He curled up on the couch, Red in his lap as he flipped through the channels on the television. He stopped on the station that had his favorite detective show, getting comfy when a breaking news story interrupted the program.

 

The headline caught him off guard.

 

**_“One dead, one injured in brutal attack at local café.”_ **

 

“What the fuck?” Keith sat up straighter, unable to take his eyes off the TV. He paled as the reporter came into view in front of the café, his café.

 

_ “A grizzly attack on local café owners has shaken the city tonight. Jason Rogers was found dead at the scene, his wife Tammy in critical condition-” _

 

The dhampir covered his mouth with his hand, catching a glimpse of Jason's body. His throat was torn open.

 

Keith felt icy fear wrap around his insides.

 

Fuck, maybe Lotor found him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully got all my mistakes.
> 
> Enjoy. Next chapter my be a flash back chapter.

“Matt, you know damn well Keith didn't do this. He loves this café…” Pidge crossed her arms, looking over the crime scene while Lance and Shiro thralled the police and the crowd. They managed to scare away the reporters, and now they had the police in line like zombies. The Holt siblings were talking low enough so only they could hear each other.

 

“I know, Katie, I know. But you know Alfor and Allura are going to want to know about it.” Matt rubbed his hand over his face, groaning. “Did Coran talk to Tammy?”

 

“Not yet. She's critical….” Pidge frowned, crouching near Jason's body. “What do you think did it?”

 

“Vampire. Hunk and his pack would've noticed any other werewolves in the area. I don't know of any other creatures that can do this kind of damage.” Matt, with gloves hands, turned Jason's face left and right slowly. “Should...should we tell dad?”

 

“No.” Pidge's tone was clipped. “He's been acting weird lately, and honestly, I don't want to talk to him. If he wants to know anything he can come out of his fucking lab.”

 

Shiro walked over as soon as the police left, Lance convincing them to go about their day.

 

“Smells like vampire, but not a rogue…” Shiro frowned. “Didn't Allura's wards pick up anything?”

 

“No. Which is troubling. I'll have Hunk start doing patrols around the city.” Matt stood, taking his gloves off and putting them in a plastic bag, stuffing them into his briefcase.

 

“Look, guys, about Keith-” Shiro started.

 

“We really didn't thrall him. Honest-” Lance chimed in, standing next to Shiro.

 

“We want to be with him.” the two vampires finished together.

 

Matt and Pidge shared a look.

 

“You two are serious?” Matt raised his eyebrow. “Does he know you're vampires?”

 

Shiro and Lance sighed, shaking their heads. Pidge stalked closer to them, snagging their shirt collars and hauling them both down to her level.

 

“If you two hurt him, I'm gonna give you both holy water enemas. Understand?” she ground out through clenched teeth.

 

The two vampires gulped, and nodded. Pidge let them go, muttering something about meeting Coran. The two Holt's left with a small goodbye.

 

“You ever think those two are more than human? I mean, holy fuck. Pidge can be terrifying.” Lance shuttered at the very thought of her threat.

 

“Humans can be more frightening than those that dwell in the shadows.” Shiro sighed, pulling out his phone. “I'm gonna call Keith. This was his favorite spot. Maybe he hasn't heard the news…”

 

Lance hummed, walking with Shiro out of the café. As soon as they were far enough away, Lance released his thrall on the humans, hearing immediate sirens in the distance. Lance's phone buzzed, and he sighed when he read the message.

 

“Rogues in the forest.”

 

\------------------------------------

 

Keith didn't hear from Lance or Shiro in two days, and he was worried. He knew that whatever their job was took all their attention, but it also sounded dangerous. In those two days, more people had gone missing or attacked around places Keith liked to frequent.

 

It unsettled him greatly.

 

He didn't tell Matt or Pidge about the other places, they had enough on their plate.

 

Keith was on his way back to his apartment from a random convenience store, sipping an energy drink, when his phone went off.

 

“Matt?”

 

_ “Keith! Keith, we need you at the mansion.” _ Matt sounded panicked, scared.

 

“Mansion? What mansion? Are you and Pidge ok-” Keith stopped in front of the entrance to his apartment building.

 

_ “Pidge just sent you the address. You can't miss it. Just- just get here. Please man-” _

 

“Ok, ok I can- I can get there. But what's going on-”

 

_ “I'll explain when you get here! Use the door at the west side, I'll be there. And….I'm sorry.”  _ Matt hung up, leaving Keith in silence.

 

The dhampir bit his lip, shoving his phone into his bag after checking the message from Pidge and running around to the back of the building. No one would see him here. He gulped, taking the choker off and wrapping it around his wrist, and shifted.

 

Keith shook his fur, now a large, white wolf. Well, something that resembled a wolf. More like something grotesque and wolf like, hellhound-ish, unlike his full blooded kin or werewolves. He took off at a sprint, dashing through the trees and between buildings. No one could see him with how fast he was moving. As he approached the mansion, he could smell Matt's fear and worry. Keith cleared the fence with ease, startling the Holt as he bounded closer.

 

“You can- you can shift-” he shook his head. “Never mind. Come on, quick.”

 

Keith shifted back, gulping as he followed Matt. There were so many smells here, blood, sage, magic. He's never been here before, didn't even know this existed. Matt opened a door, and Keith was hit with the heavy scent of-

 

Vampire blood.

 

He balked, but Matt yanked him into the room. Keith felt the panic rise in his chest. Vampires, there were vampires here. Did the Holt's know? Surely they wouldn't lead him into a trap- they were his friends-

 

“Sh-Shiro? L-L-Lance?” Keith's eyes widened, taking in the grizzly scene before him. Pidge was trying her best to get Lance and Shiro to drink- blood. They- they're-

 

“Keith, you need to heal them. Please-” Pidge got up when she noticed Keith.

 

“Th-they're- vampires-” Keith couldn't take his eyes off of them. He had fallen in love with these two, and they were the very thing he was  _ petrified  _ of.

 

“Keith-”

 

“Did you know?” his voice breaks as he pins Matt to the spot.

 

“Keith, please- we just-” Pidge moved closer, but stopped when Keith snarled.

 

“You knew?!” his voice pitched high, rousing Lance from his spot on the floor.

 

“K-Keith…?” Lance tried to move, to sit up, but he fell back into the pile of his blood. He was so injured-

 

“Keith, please. They're dying. We won't have the blood they need until tomorrow, and we ran out of yours-” Pidge recoiled at the strangled sound Keith made.

 

“You've been  _ using me _ ?!” Keith wanted to be sick, memories that haunted him coming to the forefront of his mind. Of his limbs being ripped off only to painfully regenerate, of his guts being spilled only to be shoved back into him and rearrange themselves. 

 

The Holt siblings were at a loss, and Keith finally realized that there was a fucking werewolf in the room. He took a step back, freezing when Shiro made a wounded noise and gripped Lance's hand weakly.

 

As afraid as he was, his heart clenched painfully seeing them like this, and they didn't deserve to die. Keith crossed his arms over his chest, looking them over. Both of them were full of bullet holes. Silver bullets. Keith knew how much they could burn. He could refuse, should refuse, but something in him howled in protest.

 

“Get out.” his voice was clipped, shaking.

 

“Keith-” Pidge stepped forward again.

 

“Get. Out. They  _ will  _ frenzy. I- I won't be able to stop them….” Keith stepped closer to the two vampires, receiving confused looks from the mobile bodies in the room.

 

“We aren't leaving you in here alone-” Matt flinched at the glare he got from the dhampir, but stayed put.

 

Keith took a wavering breath, crouching near Lance and Shiro. They managed to open their eyes, and he flinched at the deep silver and blue shining at him from black sclera. The dhampir steeled himself, swallowed his fear, and shoved his forearms in front of the two vampires.

 

“Drink.”

 

They shook their heads, having the decency to look ashamed. Keith growled, reaching into his bag and pulling out his obsidian blade. His father's pride and joy, and final gift before he was slaughtered before Keith's eyes as his mother was burned at the stake. He pressed the blade into the soft skin of his forearm, slicing both and letting his blood flow. 

 

Keith yelped when Shiro and Lance snatched his arms in bruising grips, sinking their fangs into delicate flesh. The dhampir screwed his eyes shut, gasping and squirming at the pain of their teeth and claws as they dug into him harder, frenzied. He could feel his blood being drawn from him, and he began to shake. Keith heard a few gasps from inside the room, someone commenting on how quickly Shiro and Lance were healing. The bullets pushed from their flesh, hitting the floor with soft tings. 

 

They knew, they all knew now. Keith was a freak. Something ugly to be hidden away and used. Matt and Pidge would do the same, keep him here for Shiro and Lance. He wanted to throw up, even as the two vampires mouthed over his wounds to heal the deep gouges now in his arms. It was almost cruel at how tender they were being, carefully biting another spot on his arms to draw from and holding him like he was precious. Keith shuddered as they licked over the punctures. He would scar, he always did. Keith wasn't gifted with perfect healing like they were.

 

They pulled away, licking his blood from their mouths, staring at him with wide eyes. Shiro gasped as he noticed how Keith's blood glimmered a golden red violet. The dhampir yanked himself free from their grasps, shakily getting to his feet. He felt sick, trembling, drained. He needed to feed, but he refused.

 

“K-Keith? You're-” Shiro wobbled to his feet, reaching out for him as Lance stood.

 

“Dhampir….” Lance finished for him, reaching out like Shiro was.

 

Keith backed away, shaking, unsteady. Tears flowing from his eyes, and he knew they could smell his fear and stress. The choker did nothing to hide it. He wondered vaguely if he should rip it off, but with the threat of rogues in the city, he couldn't afford it. Not when he knew the Holt's would hold him hostage. He was already their hostage.

 

“I….I told you I was ugly….” Keith's voice cracked, and he shifted on the spot, snarling at Pidge when she tried to stop him. He busted through the door, taking off from the mansion in long strides. A deep whine left his throat as he scaled the wall to his apartment, almost ripping the glass door from the track as he entered. Red mrowled at him, as he shifted back and collapsed in the living room.

 

Keith lifted his arms, tearing the choker from his wrist and tossing it somewhere near the couch. Raised lines raked down his forearms, accompanied by bite marks and bruises. The dhampir let himself cry, wrapping his arms around himself and he curled up. Red climbed onto his side, purring and kneading at his shoulder in her attempt to soothe him. He felt torpor setting in, he hadn't fed enough. Maybe, after some sleep, he would have the energy to at least go to his room.

 

His friends betrayed him. They betrayed him. He should've known they were all too good to be true.

 

\------------------------------------------

 

Shiro and Lance got to their feet, still staring at the broken door. Keith was, is, a dhampir. The sound of Pidge crying stopped them from going after Keith.

 

“What….he's a-” Shiro tried to find the words.

 

“Yeah. He's a dhampir…” Matt held Pidge as she cried, running his fingers through her short hair.

 

“But, how? Where did he come from? Why didn't you tell us?” Lance ghosted a trembling hand over his chest. The wounds were completely healed, no trace they were ever there.

 

Matt sighed, guiding Pidge by her shoulders out of the room. Hunk, Lance, and Shiro following. They looked up as Allura and Alfor came running down the stairs.

 

“What on earth was that- oh my. Are you two alright?” Alfor paused, taking in their appearance.

 

“Do you need medical treatment?” Allura looked Pidge over, thumbing away her tears.

 

“No. We're, not injured. But…” Pidge trailed off with a sniffle.

 

“We can talk in the living room.” Matt sighed again, moving with Pidge towards their destination.

 

“Should we fetch Sam?” Coran appeared next to Allura, frowning.

 

“No, he doesn't need to know shit.” Pidge pulled away from Matt, stomping towards the living room.

 

“Hunk, you got any snacks?” Matt pinched the bridge of his nose. “It's gonna be a long night…”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flash back chapter. Flash backs are in italics, present day is in normal text.
> 
> Hope its alright....
> 
> Heavy use of italics.

_Year 1693….._

 

_Keith was seven years old when he tried to make a friend. His mother warned him to stay away from others, that they wouldn't understand him, that they would fear him. But he wanted to play too. Why couldn't he make some friends? His father had lots of friends, Keith would be ok!_

 

_He was wrong._

 

_The villagers came for them in the night, his mother frantic and his father snarling at the front door. She hid Keith in the cupboard behind the bags of grain._

 

_“Stay here, little love. Whatever you hear, do not come out until it is quiet.”_

 

_“M-momma, papa, I'm scared!” Keith gripped at his mother's dress, trembling like a leaf. He could smell his parent's fear._

 

_“My sunshine…” his father came closer, lifting him up and hugging Keith tightly. “I'm sorry. When you get the chance, run, my boy. Run as fast as you can, far away from here. Seek the Blades, they will protect you. I promise.”_

 

_“We love you, Keith. Never forget that.”_

 

_His father pressed his blade into Keith's hands, his mother giving him one last kiss before shutting him into the cupboard. Keith covered his mouth with his hand, listening to the commotion outside of the door as he gripped his father's knife. His mother screamed, his father shouted, angry footsteps and shouts filled their shack, and Keith was so scared he couldn't breathe._

 

_The noise stopped, and Keith slowly came out of his hiding place._

 

_“Momma? Papa?” he looked around, the scent of fire in the distance made him gulp. Keith left the little shack he called home, following the smell to the middle of the village. He hid within the bushes nearby, eyes wide as he watched the villagers tie his mother to a stake, surrounding her with straw and wood. His father, made to kneel next to where his mother was kept, bound in chains that burned him. The head of the local church stepping forward._

 

_“Where did you hide your unholy spawn?!”_

 

_Keith watched his father spit towards the priest. His mother, a defiant look on her face, held her head high. His parents ignored the shouts around them, looking at each other and smiling._

 

_“My cosmos, I love you.” his mother shed a single tear._

 

_“My hope, my sunrise, we shall meet in the afterlife.”_

 

_The scent of his mother burning and the stench of his father's blood would haunt him forever. He ran._

 

\---------------------------------------

 

“Shit! I knew we should have checked on him sooner!”

 

“Help me get him into the chair, he needs to eat.”

 

“Hunk, he's tied up, he won't lunge at you. Just feed him, please!”

 

Keith groaned as someone held his head up, something warm pushed against his lips. He could smell the pulse, hear the blood pushing through the veins in front of him. With a growl, he lunged forward, clamping his fangs into the arm. Keith moaned softly at the hot blood filling his mouth, drinking quickly. Someone was carding their fingers through his hair, voice strained.

 

“Take as much as you need, Keith. Hunk can handle it…”

 

The dhampir groaned again, licking over the wounds he made and letting his head fall forward. He was exhausted.

 

\------------------------------------

 

_Year 1919……._

 

_Keith followed Regris into the little town they had settled outside of. The vampire had found Keith about a year after his parents were killed, living with a pack of wolves. Regris taught him what he needed to know about being a vampire, and a human. He also gave Keith a way to hide himself. A bracelet that allowed him to use a glamor. The dhampir had no clue where Regris came from, but he was gentle with Keith. Kind, like his father had been._

 

_He stopped aging in his 21st year, which fascinated him. It didn't surprise Regris, though. They weaved through the crowd of people, his guardian had told him he was ready to meet the Blades. Regris taught him a new lesson that day._

 

_“Remember, little love, there will be those that will want you dead. Human and vampire.” Regris had told him._

 

_“But, why? What did I do wrong?” Keith kept up with his pace, eyes low and the hood on his cloak up._

 

_“You were simply born. Humans will always see us as monsters, demons to be extinguished. Vampires will always see you as an abomination, something hideous and unclean. They will want you for your blood, nothing more. They will not hesitate to torture you.”_

 

_Keith shuddered at Regris’ words, pulling his cloak tighter against his frame. “What...what about you? How do you see me?”_

 

_Regris stopped as they turned down an alleyway, gently holding Keith by his shoulders and prompting him to look up._

 

_“I see you as your mother and father saw you. Something precious, and worthwhile. You are a living thing, as am I.” Regris gave him a lopsided grin._

 

_“And...the Blades? How do they see me?”_

 

_Before the vampire could answer, he threw Keith to the side. Keith flailed as he collided with a stack of boxes, looking up with wide eyes as Regris was run through with a wooden stake. Black blood dribbled from between the vampires lips._

 

_“Lotor….”_

 

_“Ah, Regris. Good to see you, old friend. Off to see the Blades?” this, Lotor, twisted the stake further into Regris, his fangs glinting in a sadistic smile._

 

_Regris sneered, side glancing Keith. Unfortunately, Lotor took notice._

 

_“You have a friend? How cute. Zethrid, Ezor. Would you both be so kind and grab him please.”_

 

_Keith shouted as he was hauled up from the boxes, kicking at the two holding him. The smaller of the two females, Ezor, seized his arm and ripped the bracelet off. She recoiled away from him as Zethrid tightened her grip._

 

_“Dhampir!” Ezor hissed, throwing the bracelet to the side. Lotor inhaled sharply, his smile growing wider._

 

_“Oh my, Regris. Have you any idea what you have in your possession?” Lotor let Regris fall, stalking closer to Keith._

 

_“Keep your filthy hands off of him Loto-” Regris gasped as Ezor stepped on the stake, grinning down at the fallen vampire._

 

_They made Keith watch as they murdered Regris, his guardian's body burning as they lit him up. Lotor grabbed him by the jaw, taking a deep inhale of Keith's fear._

 

_“Father always promised I could have a pet.”_

 

\--------------------------------------

 

Keith tugged at the restraints on his wrists as his head was held up once more, something plastic pressed to his lips.

 

“Come on, Keith. One more bag. You're starving…”

 

“....K-Katie….?” he slowly forced his eyes open, greeted with the concerned faces of Matt and Pidge. Pidge had a blood bag held up to his chin, tears in her eyes.

 

“Y-yeah. Can you drink this for us? You're really bad off, bro...please?” Pidge held the bad closer, eyes pleading with him.

 

Weakly, Keith bit down on the bag, letting Matt tip his head back so its contents could slide down his throat. Something soft cleaned his chin when the bag was drained. The dhampir whimpered, fear clawing its way up his throat.

 

“D...Don’ hurt m-me...please…” Keith felt pathetic, terrified sobs bubbling up from his chest. “You...you promised…”

 

“Keith…” Matt held him gently, undoing the cord keeping Keith's hands behind the chair. “We did promise, and we're going to keep it. Nothing is going to hurt you again.”

 

“We're sorry, Keith. _I'm_ sorry...I should have said something. We shouldn't have kept this from you…” Pidge thumbed away his tears, cradling his head to her chest.

 

Keith was too exhausted to keep crying, letting his arms go limp at his sides.

 

\-------------------------------------

 

_Four months ago….._

 

_Keith limped towards his next class, rain soaking him to the bone. It was a rare day for him, Lotor let him outside of the keep. It was the dhampir’s job to lure humans to Lotor and his brood. His punishments and freedom had been severely limited since his first escape, the metal collar serving as his glamor digging into his skin the sick reminder that the vampire owned him._

 

_He was found with a witch named Honerva. Such a kind woman, never asked him about his appearance, giving him a glamor that made him look younger than what he was, changing his appearance as needed. Keith didn't mind being treated like a child when they would leave her house. It gave him the opportunity to go to school, learn things he never would have learned with Lotor and get more accustomed to the current times._

 

_He was with Honerva for 15 years before he was found, once again forced to watch as they disemboweled her. Keith was beside himself. He had friends, the two closest to him were the Holt siblings that lived next door. What would they think of him up and leaving like this with no word?_

 

_Keith begged Lotor to let him out, somehow managing to convince the vampire that they needed more humans to feed from. He hated it, but he knew he had to come back with someone. If he didn't, they would hurt him, watching scream and writhe as they tore his limbs from him. Or starve him. Keith was thin enough._

 

_He was drawing at one of the covered tables in the courtyard of the college when someone approached him. Keith glanced up. He was cute, disturbingly familiar. But Keith had no choice, he thralled him, making the poor soul lead him to a hotel room. The dhampir had made a choice to feed before he took the man to Lotor. He was so hungry…._

 

_It was when he pinned the man to the wall, inhaling his scent when he froze. This man was familiar, too familiar. Keith pulled away, his thrall dropping immediately._

 

_“M….Matt..?”_

 

_“What the fu- Keith? Is that you?” the older Holt gasped, pushing Keith aside easily when Pidge came flying through the other door. “Katie, wait!”_

 

_Pidge stopped, gun raised and pointed at Keith. “Matt, what the shit are you doing? It's a vampire-”_

 

_“It's Keith! It's Keith. Just- just hold on, ok?” Matt crouched next to where Keith had fallen, helping him into a sitting position._

 

_“Oh, my god...Keith?” Pidge lowered her gun, breathless, kneeling on Keith's other side. “What- what are you doing here?”_

 

_Keith looked at them both, a feeling of relief flooding his chest. “You're...hunters..?”_

 

_“Yeah, you're- fuck, you're a vampire? You tried to thrall me.” Matt didn't look happy, but he sounded more worried than anything._

 

_“It, didn't work?” Keith was dizzy, swallowing thickly._

 

_“No, we have wards against that.”_

 

_Keith almost started to cry. He had an out. He had an out, they could help him. He didn't think they were the Holt's the weaker members of Lotor's brood rambled about, the deadly hunters taking out satellite nests and destroying any rogue they came across._

 

_“You- you gotta help me. Please, I know where Lotor is. Just- just get me out…” Keith pleaded, spouting out where Lotor's keep was and how to get in undetected._

 

_The events after his reunion with the Holt's was blurred in agony, blood, and torn limbs._

 

_He came to in an apartment, unfamiliar sounds assaulting his ears from the open window. The scent if sage and magic made his nose wrinkle. He couldn't move, but something was holding his mouth open. Warm, sticky blood pouring down his throat. God, he was so hungry. He tried to lunge for it, get his arms to work so it wouldn't run away or be taken from him._

 

_“Easy, man. It's not going anywhere.” the source of the blood pressed to his lips, and Keith whined as he sunk his fangs into it. It hissed, but a gentle touch brushed his hair from his face._

 

_“He can regenerate?” a female voice. “That's faster than anything we've seen…”_

 

_Keith pulled away from the arm, registering it belonged to Matt. He licked the wound carefully, Matt gasped as it healed quickly._

 

_“...m’ a dhampir…” he slowly lifted his head, vision blurry and unfocused. “Are...you gon’ kill me..?”_

 

_“Absolutely not.” Pidge wiped his chin, carding her fingers through his tangled hair._

 

_“No one is going to hurt you again. We promise.”_

 

\--------------------------------------

 

**_Lance and Shiro to Keith: 4:37pm_ **

 

 **_L:_ ** _Keith? Keith, please, talk to us._

 

 **_S:_ ** _We're worried. We were going to tell you, we swear._

 

 **_L:_ ** _can we meet up soon???? Please???_

 

 **_S:_ ** _We need to see you, to know you're alright._

 

Keith woke up in his bed, alone, but not as hungry as he was. Red purred loudly next to him, curled up on the pillow. Slowly, he reached for his phone. The date on his phone confused him. He'd been asleep for almost a week and a half. The dhampir looked over the messaged, all from Lance or Shiro or both of them.

 

He wanted to ignore them, but, they almost died. Matt and Pidge promised him that he wouldn't get hurt anymore. The logical part of his brain overriding the fear, reasoning that if they knew the Holt's, then they wouldn't hurt him.

 

The messages kept coming, and Keith sighed.

 

**_Keith to Land and Shiro: 4:49pm_ **

 

 **_K:_ ** _Fine. But I'm picking the place, time, and how long we talk._


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully got all my errors

Keith shoved his hands into his pockets, taking his time walking to the park. His heart kept trying to exit his body via his throat, and he had to pummel it back down to his ribcage with deep breaths and a mental drop kick. He would be fine, hopefully. Keith frowned everytime the gem on his choker knocked against his skin. It made him think of what else the Holt's could be keeping from them. In fact, he hadn't seen Sam since Honerva was killed. Keith would have known if the eldest Holt was no longer alive, Matt and Pidge would be beside themselves.

 

The dhampir shoved the thoughts aside as he entered the park. The urge to turn and run growing stronger with every step. He could already smell Shiro and Lance. They were here, and it had his skin prickling. Reaching up, he pulled his beanie on tighter around his head, pushed up his sunglasses, and continued walking.

 

He saw them a moment later, sat at a picnic table, pressed against one another on one side. They looked as nervous as he felt. Odd. There were takeout bags in front of them. Keith recognized the logo, his favorite takeout place. Pidge must have told them. Meaning they told her what they were doing. With a deep breath, Keith squared his shoulders, and walked up to the free bench of the picnic table. Both vampires startled, eyes wide and staring at him.

 

“Keith-”

 

“You're alright-”

 

Keith sat down wordlessly, not looking directly at them. He kept his hands in his pockets as they brought the food out. Keith side glanced it. Sweet and sour chicken, his favorite. They were trying to either butter him up, or apologize. He wasn't sure which, but he finally brought his head up and looked them over.

 

“Did..did you both heal alright?” he kept his voice soft, willing his hands to stop trembling as he opened the box of food.

 

“More than alright. What about you? You looked- you looked really bad when you left…” Lance hadn't moved, keeping his eyes on Keith.

 

“Pidge said you hadn't been eating right.” Shiro looked distraught. “Why? Keith you could've died-”

 

“I've never been that lucky…” Keith stared down at his food, the smell making him nauseous. He was still hungry, always hungry. “I haven't eaten right in 100 years or so.”

 

Shiro gawked at him. “Keith-”

 

“Don't. Please...don't…” Keith grimaced as he forked up some food and downed it. It didn't taste right. It wasn't what he wanted. “I don't, need a lecture.”

 

Shiro clicked his jaw shut, but his gaze moved to Keith's arm where his sleeve had slipped down. Carefully, he reached out and wrapped his hand around Keith's wrist. The dhampir flinched violently, turning his head and tried pulling his arm back. Shiro didn't budge. Keith screwed his eyes shut behind his sunglasses. There was no way they would feed on him out in the open like this-

 

He felt his sleeve being pushed up, and two soft gasps followed. Keith flinched again when his glasses were taken, feeling tears forming in his eyes. A cool hand cupped his cheek, and Keith let his eyes crack open to look at what they were doing. Shiro and Lance were staring at his arm, their faces a few shades paler than normal. Fingers ghosted over the long scars raking down his arm, and the bite punctures beside them.

 

“Did- did we do this? You said you healed-” Shiro's voice cracked, running gentle touches over the scars.

 

Lance moved his hand from Keith's cheek, gently taking his other arm and pushing up the sleeve. “ _ Dios _ ….Keith, why did you scar like this? And- there's  _ more- _ ”

 

Keith was thankful they were alone in the park, storm clouds looming above keeping everyone away. He swallowed thickly, pulling his arms away to wipe his face. They let him go this time.

 

“I don't, heal like you do....how much do you two know about dhampirs?” Keith gave them both a wary look, he knew his eyes were still puffy and red from his breakdown before coming to the park.

 

“Not a lot. You're only half vampire, right?” Lance tilted his head, looking Keith over.

 

“Yeah...my mother was human.” he wrapped his arms around his middle, lowering his gaze once more.

 

“There isn't much on dhampirs. In fact, you're the first one I've ever met.” Shiro sighed, running a hand through his hair. “But, that's not why we wanted to talk to you.”

 

Keith looked up slowly, frowning.

 

“We, we meant it when we said we were looking for a third.” Lance gave him a lopsided smile. “And we want you.”

 

What?

 

The confusion must have shown on his face, because they both made a noise and reached for him.

 

“I don't know how dhampirs feel connections or bonds, but both Lance and I felt something when we met you at the club.” Shiro leaned forward to remove Keith's beanie, brushing a lock of hair behind his ear.

 

“It's the same thing we felt when we met each other.” Lance cupped Keith's cheek again, running his thumb over the scar there.

 

“We want to take you home-”

 

“Take care of you-”

 

“Sleep with you-”

 

“Go for walks in the moonlight-”

 

They prattled on about what they wanted to do with Keith, and the dhampir was surprised that none of those options were ripping his fingers off just to watch them grow back. Their touch suddenly felt like lightning on his skin, and he recoiled back. Shiro and Lance looked a bit shocked, but made no move to follow him.

 

“I….you're supposed to  _ despise  _ me. You're supposed to want me dead. What are you two  _ doing _ ? What's the catch?” Keith stared at them, waiting. There  _ had  _ to be a catch. The look on their faces, though, suggested that they didn't know exactly why he had freaked out.

 

“Why would we want you dead?” Shiro's tone was low, stricken, with a hint of anger. Like whoever had told Keith that was going to meet an untimely demise. Too bad you can't kill what's already long dead.

 

“Keith, we don't want you dead. The only things we want dead are rogues that decide to fuck up our turf.” Lance frowned. “We...hunt them. Like Matt and Pidge do.”

 

The dhampir just blinked, studying their faces for any sign of deception. He found nothing. They, were serious. Keith didn't know which terrified him most: the fact they were serious, or the fact that they truly didn't want him dead.

 

Maybe Regris had been wrong….

 

“I…”

 

“If we're moving too fast, just tell us.” Lance purred to him. “And before you ask, no, we aren't thralling you.”

 

“Well, we tried to at the club. Guess now we know why it didn't work.” Shiro leaned in closer, almost laying on the food containers between them.

 

Keith swallowed thickly, watching them get closer and closer. He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks.

 

“Can we kiss you?” they voiced their question at the same time, breath ghosting over his ears.

 

He wanted to say yes, but he also wanted to say no. Just as he was about to give his answer, the wind shifted. Keith froze, he knew that smell. Shiro and Lance paused, watching as his head turned towards the forest, eyes wide and fear rolling off him in waves.

 

“Keith?”

 

“What's wrong, novio?”

 

They frowned, and whipped their heads around as soon as they caught the scent. Shiro growled low in his throat as Lance slowly got up, moving to Keith's side and placing a hand on his shoulder.

 

“Keith-”

 

The dhampir startled, the raw terror clawing at his chest had him shooting up from his seat and bolting away from them. Keith heard them call his name, but he kept running, not stopping until he was inside his apartment. He locked every door and window before shutting himself into his room, hiding in the very back of his closet. Pulling his knees to his chest, he ducked his head down and curled his arms over him.

 

Keith stayed that way, shaking, eyes screwed shut. He barely registered Red purring loudly at his feet, or the sounds from outside his door. He didn't respond to his name being called, and he didn't look up when familiar voices rang out in his bedroom.

 

“Oh, jesus, Keith?”

 

Small, warm hands gently pried his arms away from his head. Keith flinched away, pressing further into his hiding place. He whined, sucking in an lung full of air as he was pulled forward.

 

“Y-you promised- you said-”

 

“I know, I know.” Pidge tugged him closer, holding tightly to his trembling form. “Keith, what happened? What did you see?”

 

“Could- could smell- in the park I could smell her in the park she was there they  _ found  _ me Pidge-”

 

“Keith slow down. Who? We rushed here as soon as Shiro and Lance called us. It was just a rogue in the park-” Pidge tried to soothe him, but the dhampir keened, clutching onto her shirt tightly.

 

“ _ They found me _ Pidge they found me-”

 

“ _ Keith! _ ” Pidge shook his shoulders, gently gripping his jaw so Keith would look at her. Her expression softened when he made eye contact. “I know you're scared, but  _ nothing  _ is going to get you.”

 

“B-but-” Keith's chest shuddered.

 

Pidge furrowed her brow, looking down to see his choker still on. It was times like these that surprised her with how human he could look, glamor or not. “No buts. Matt is upping the wards around here. Unless, you want to come to the mansion with us.”

 

Keith blinked, forcing his breathing to even out. He was exhausted again. Wait, the mansion? He couldn't go there.

 

“I- I can't- there's werewolves there….and- a witch-” Keith buried his face into his hands, choking on a sob. Honerva was kind to him, but  _ Haggar _ . Haggar had been almost, if not more, cruel than Lotor had.

 

“Keith, that witch is Allura. Allura Lionheart.” Pidge cupped his face, thumbing away his tears. “Her and her father are our boss.”

 

The dhampir blinked again. He's heard of the Lionheart's. An ancient sect of hunters that calls themselves Voltron. Keith swallowed, running a shaking hand through his hair. Honerva told him about Voltron, she was part of it. He had trusted her, and he trusts Matt and Pidge, he even trusted Shiro and Lance. But…

 

“N-no….I want to stay here…” Keith slowly reached up and removed the choker, rubbing his eyes slowly. “Maybe, maybe I was wrong, and freaked out..”

 

Pidge continued to rub his cheeks slowly, letting him calm down. “Who did you think was there?”

 

“Zethrid…”

 

\----------------------------------

 

Sam gripped the phone in his hand tightly, face twisted into a sneer.

 

“I told you, I don't know where it is. My children never gave me that information!”

 

_ “Tsk tsk. Oh Sam, I thought you wanted a cure for you and your wife?”  _ Lotor snickered from the other end of the phone.  _ “We have a deal in place. You know what will happen if you don't hold up your end.” _

 

“Don't you  _ dare  _ go after my kids.” Sam snarled, fangs bared. “They don't need to be turned into monsters-”

 

_ “Sam, old friend, you wound me!”  _ Lotor chuckled, a hiss at the end of it.  _ “Don't forget, you humans have been slaughtering each other and my kind for eons. Find my dhampir, Sam. You and your wife can return to normal, weak humans when you do.” _

 

The phone went dead with a click, and Sam growled. He turned to the glass cage in his lab, watching his wife snarl and squirm in her restraints. Colleen's black eyes glaring at him.

 

“I know, dear. You're hungry….” Sam gave a weary sigh, moving to another cage, a terrified man cowering in the far corner.

 

“No! Stay away from me!”

 

Sam ignored him, grabbing the poor soul by his arm and dragging him to Colleen's cage.

 

“I am sorry…” Sam didn't meet his gaze. “But, my wife and I, are so very hungry.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short update, but shits gonna hit the fan. The tags will start coming into play more now.
> 
> Hope it isnt too bad, this chapter is meant to be short. Kinda like a filler I guess.

“You're certain that this, dhampir, of yours is not the one killing humans?”

 

Alfor Lionheart was a kind man, though stern in his approach to hunting like his forefathers. The Holt siblings had been very upfront about the existence of this creature, how they had found him barely alive in a vampire's keep. The months the dhampir had been under the sibling's watchful eye proved he could be trusted. If anything, the stubborn creature was only a hassle to feed.

 

“Yes, sir. Keith doesn't get out much, not for lack of trying.” Pidge crossed her arms, scowling. The attacks had picked up since Keith had a date with her favorite vampires. “He's more reluctant to leave now anyway.”

 

“Oh? Why is that?” Allura piped up from where she was reading her book, the cover in some language the Holt's couldn't recognize.

 

“He thinks he could smell someone named Zethrid.” Matt didn't look up from his phone, texting away to Keith while he was on his date. “He's with Shiro and Lance right now, close to Kolivan's nightclub.”

 

Alfor paused, eyes locking onto Matt. “Zethrid? Are you certain?”

 

Matt looked up finally, blinking at the alarmed expression on Alfor's face. “Yeah, why?”

 

“Bring your dhampir here. Now.” Alfor stood. “Call the Garrison as well, get Iverson's team here. We'll need backup.”

 

“That much man power? Who's Zethrid anyway?” Pidge frowned, getting to her feet. She didn't care for Iverson and his group. Pig headed and arrogant. “They won't go after Shiro, Lance, and Hunk will they?”

 

“No, they will not if I have anything to say about that. This is my territory, Iverson will simply have to get over himself.” Alfor moved quickly through the mansion and towards the lab. “Allura, contact the Blades. Either Shiro and Lance get the dhampir here, or they do.”

 

“His name is Keith.” Pidge glared.

 

“Er, right. Keith.” Alfor cleared his throat as he entered the lab. “Sam-”

 

The lab was eerily silent, not a trace of Sam to be found. The group moved further in, looking around. Due to Sam's standing at the Garrison, no one bothered him in his lab, putting full trust into the man's work. He'd never let them down before. Hunk stopped in his tracks, grabbing Matt and Pidge quickly.

 

“Don't- you guys shouldn't be down here-” the werewolf gave a low whine, tugging the siblings backwards.

 

“Hunk, let go. It's fine-”

 

A shout from Coran had them all pausing, running to his side in front of a glass cage. Pidge and Matt gasped as they took in the snarling rouge within.

 

“M-mom?!”

 

\---------------------------------

 

“Fuck, Keith is too perfect!” Lance swooned, leaning against Shiro as they made their way back to the mansion. They managed to get Keith to laugh, and both vampires almost fainted at the sound. It was obvious Keith didn't laugh often, his voice rough and airy.

 

“I know.” Shiro chuckled as he caught Lance, picking up bridal style as they entered the mansion. “I'm glad he hasn't run from us yet. Maybe on the next date we can convince him to move into the mansion with us-”

 

“What the blazes do you mean you're team was turned?!”

 

Both vampires froze at the roar of Alfor's voice. The man was always soft spoken, though stern. He rarely yelled, let alone shouted like that. They ran to his office, skidding to a halt at the sight of Commander Iverson and Ryan Kinkade.

 

“You have no room to shout at me, Lionheart. If you're mismatched band of freaks would have just taken care of the problem-”

 

“Do not blame me for your screw up, Iverson. You are in  _ my  _ territory. Voltron has kept things in order for centuries. It is no fault of ours that the Garrison is brash enough to send inexperienced  _ children  _ head first into a brood with no knowledge of what they're getting themselves into!” Alfor was furious, almost toe to toe with Iverson.

 

“They got all of them? How is that even possible?” Allura crossed her arms. “You've always boasted about how your team was far superior to ours.”

 

Shiro and Lance stood next to Hunk, his pack, and the Holt siblings, sharing a look with them.

 

“We, we underestimated the brood. They ambushed us. We were looking for the dhampir-” Kinkade tried to reason their failure, but he flinched when Pidge snagged him by his shirt collar.

 

“What do you know about the dhampir?” her expression was one of murderous intent, more so than usual. Her eyes were red rimmed, like she had been crying before this.

 

Kinkade gulped, raising his hands in a gesture of peace. “S-Sam, your father. He claims the dhampir's blood can reverse vampirism. He wanted us to capture it, but failed to warn us about the brood-”

 

“Vampirism can't be reversed.” Shiro scoffed at the very thought, but narrowed his eyes at Iverson and Kinkade. “What brood.”

 

“A vampire by the name of Lotor leads it. We aren't sure how many he has.” Iverson clenched his fists. “This dhampir is nothing but trouble, you should have killed it before this happened.”

 

Shiro, Lance, and the Holt siblings were about to tear Iverson apart when Shiro's phone rang. Keith's ringtone. He answered it immediately, putting it on speaker.

 

“Keith? Is everything ok-”

 

_ “Sh-Shiro, there's people in my apartment.”  _ Keith's voice shook, and it sounded like he was hiding.  _ “They- vampires. They found me Shiro I don't know what to do-” _

 

“Baby, cariño, you gotta get out of there. Come to the mansion-” Lance tried to soothe him, giving Shiro a worried look.

 

Keith whined into the phone, and they could hear a muffled crashing sound. Whoever was in his apartment was tearing the place apart. Pidge and Matt moved closer after speaking with Hunk.

 

“Keith, listen very carefully.” Pidge kept her voice calm. “You need to get out of there. Run to the forest, there's a cabin there that Hunk and his pack uses. It's surrounded by Allura's wards.”

 

_ “How- how do I find it- I can't, I can't they'll get me they're gonna hurt me Pidge I can't-” _

 

“Keith, you have to. Hunk and his pack will help. Just follow the howls. You'll know it's them.” Matt nodded towards Hunk, watching the werewolves shift and bound out of the mansion.

 

“You can do this, baby. We know you can. Lance and I will be there waiting for you-” Shiro was cut off by another crash. Keith cried out, the sounds of a struggle made the room go still. Snarling, growling, and three gunshots made them jump. Shiro and Lance stared at the phone at the strangled cry Keith made, glass shattered, and the phone went dead.

 

“All of you, move out. Bring Keith to the cabin.” Alfor moved to the cabinet, pulling out his weapons and handing them out. “What isn't on our side, kill it on sight.”

 

“Hey wait, my men are out there-” Iverson stepped forward, but Allura's cold gaze made him stop.

 

“Your men are already as good as dead. If they're turned, there is no hope for them.” she loaded her weapon of choice with silver bullets, securing a pouch to her belt. “You know as well as we do that you cannot reverse vampirism.”

 

The Holt siblings and the two vampires were already running out of the mansion, Pidge and Matt jumping onto their four-wheelers.

 

“Go ahead of us, and if you see Sam-”

 

“Fucking kill him.”

 

Shiro and Lance noted the pure venom in their voices, and nodded, sprinting into the trees. They had to find Keith before the other vampires did.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wake up at 3am, decide to write. My life is a mess lol.
> 
> Sorry this took so long, writers block.
> 
> Hope I got my mistakes.
> 
> Enjoy!

The trees blurred past him as he ran, chest heaving and burning with the silver bullets lodged in his lung. Keith knew he couldn't stop, he could still hear the cackling, the taunts and promises of  _ agony  _ when Zethrid and Acxa got their hands on him. They were going to drag him back to Lotor and never let him go.

 

A fate Keith refused to succumb to.

 

_ ‘Follow the howls, follow the howls-’ _

 

Keith tripped over a tree root, sending him tumbling down a ravine. He shrieked as he felt something give way in his chest when he finally hit the bottom. A series of wet, gasping coughs rattled in his chest along with the burning pain of his body attempting to repair the damage. Those bullets were shredding his lungs, they needed out.

 

This was going to hurt. 

 

He set his jaw, clenching his teeth as he sunk a clawed hand into the left side of his chest. Cries of pain died on his lips as he ripped the bullets out, rolling over enough to vomit bile and blood as the wounds in his chest sealed quickly. Keith couldn't stop now, forcing himself up despite his shaking and ran deeper into the forest. His ears twitched at the sound of a howl, eerie and echoing. That wasn't a normal wolf howl. Keith immediately changed course and followed it, frantic for safety.

 

Movement at his side caught his attention. It slammed into him and sent him to the ground. Acxa brought her foot down hard on his chest, his scream choking off on a gurgle as something snapped in his chest and blood gushed down his chin.

 

“Oh, little kitten. Gotchya.” she giggled. “You're lucky I caught you instead of Zethrid or Ezor ya know.”

 

Keith clawed weakly at her leg, gasping and kicking under her foot. She watched, impassive, as he scuffed up the thick leather of her boots.

 

“Why did you run? If you would just, cooperate, Lotor would stop hurting you.” Acxa frowned, looking him over. “Fuck, you really do scar that bad, don't you?”

 

“L-let me g-go, Acxa. Please-” Keith wheezed, coughing more blood onto her shoe. “P-please let me go I ca-can’t go back- you don't understand-”

 

Acxa’s frown deepened, her foot pressing harder into his chest until his sternum cracked again. A ragged keen ripped from his throat as he clawed more desperately at her boots until she was thrown off of him. He sucked in a shuddering lung full of air, rolling onto his side quickly and vomiting again.

 

“Ulaz, leave. You'll get killed too, like Regris-”

 

“You don't deserve to say his name. What are you thinking, Acxa? Why let things go this far?” this, Ulaz, stood between them, weapons raised. Keith couldn't make out what they were. Their voices were drowned out by the rushing in his ears as he watched Ulaz dodge an attack and throw one of his own. He threw Acxa into the brush before turning to Keith, shoving his arm into Keith's mouth and making him latch down.

 

“Drink. You need it.” Ulaz held him in place as blood filled his mouth.

 

Keith gave a wounded sound, letting the vampire's blood roll down his throat as he looked up at Ulaz. He had kind eyes, like his father, his mother, Regris. He tried to chase the arm as it pulled away, his bones snapping back into place and healing. It wasn't enough.

 

“Go, kit. Get to safety.” the vampire roughly hauled Keith to his feet.

 

“K-kit? You, you knew my dad- and Regris-” Keith took a step forward, but Ulaz pushed him back.

 

“ _ Go,  _ Keith.” Ulaz readied his weapons again as snarling filled the air around them. “And, we do not blame you for Regris’ death.”

 

Keith's eyes widened, but he turned and bolted again. He did his best to ignore the screams behind him as he ran, tears rolling down his face. Keith followed the howls, getting closer to them. He hurt, body shaking from hunger and pain. He wasn't sure how long he had run, or how far, when he misstepped again as he ran through a clearing. He stumbled, managing to fix his steps when his left leg caught on something hidden in the grass. White hot agony and fire shot up his leg, pitching him forward into the dirt. His vision blurred, a high pitched sound in his ears and fire licking up his leg. It took Keith a bit to realize the noise he was hearing was him keening in pain.

 

He sucked in a breath, the tears rolling faster as he tugged on his leg. Keith looked down, eyes going wide once more at the bear trap mutilating his skin. He could see smoke trailing up from the wounds, the trap burning him.

 

“F-fuck…” Keith tugged at his leg, crying out at the pain. He needed to get this thing off of him. Whatever was coating it was seeping into his bloodstream, black veins creeping up his leg.

 

Keith ripped apart his shirt, tying a strip of it around his thigh as tight as he could. The black veins were slow moving, but he had to think of something to get this off of him.

 

A whine left his throat. There was only one option.

 

Quickly, Keith dug out his blade from his pocket. He balled up some of the leftover fabric of his shirt and bit into it, hovering the knife above his knee. His head jerked up at the sound of something approaching, two somethings. Keith bit down harder on the fabric, bring his knife down repeatedly into his leg. A small part of him wondered why he couldn't feel the pain, but his actions became more frantic the closer the sounds becane. His leg felt numb and hot at the same time, there was a sharp ringing in his ears. Odd, but as soon as he managed to snap the bone in half and cut away the last bits still clinging together, small hands grabbed his wrist.

 

“Fucking christ, Keith, enough!”

 

A set of arms hooked themselves under his armpits, dragging him away from the trap and his leg. Keith was shaking, staring at Pidge as she carefully pried the knife from his hand. She placed it in the pouch at her waist before turning her attention back to him, tugging the cloth from his mouth.

 

“P-Pid-ge…”

 

“No. Shut up, save your energy. You're gonna be alright. Just, fuck your first thought was to cut your damn leg off?!” she inspected the ragged stump of his leg, frowning. “Matt, he's not regenerating.”

 

“He needs to feed, remember? The last time he was like this he nearly drained me.” Matt pushed Keith's hair from his face, swallowing at the glazed look in the dhampir’s eyes, the twitch in his limbs. Keith was going into shock.

 

“Who's closest? I know James and Rizavi were close by…” Pidge wrapped a belt tightly around where Keith had the fabric, reaching up and tapping his cheeks when his eyes started to close. “Keith, stay awake.”

 

“I don't know, but we have to-” Matt looked up, tensing and drawing his gun, aiming it past Pidge. She balked, but turned around.

 

“Dad?” Pidge drew her weapon as well, crouching in front of Keith as Sam stalked closer. There were rogues with him, all wearing Garrison uniforms.

 

“Matt, Pidge, give me the dhampir. Please-”

 

“When did you turn?” Pidge didn't let him finish.

 

“Pidge-”

 

“ _ When  _ did you  _ turn? _ ” she cocked her gun, glaring at her father.

 

Sam sighed, running a hand through his hair. “When raised that mansion, and you rescued that  _ thing _ without my permission.”

 

Matt sneered, pulling Keith closer. Whatever else they were arguing about was lost to the water rushing past the dhampir’s ears. There was a rush of movement, and Keith felt himself being lifted up by his neck. Fresh pain blooms in his ribs and face, copper fills his mouth. He can hear Matt and Pidge screaming at whatever is beating him, and he slowly cracks his eyes open.

 

Sam stalks towards him, eyes gleaming black. Keith's eyes roll as they try to focus, landing on the rouges that have his family. Pidge struggles, and slams her head back into the face of the rouge. It snarls, dark blood running down its face as it goes to bite her.

 

Keith's vision tunnels, his nostrils flare. His pupils blow wide, engulfing the amethyst and turning his eyes almost completely black.

 

He's  _ starving. _

 

Wobbling onto his hands and the knee of his intact leg, Keith snarls. Sam takes a step back, shocked as he watches Keith shift. The dhampir gets bigger, white fur rippling, and soon Sam finds himself staring down what he would call a beast from the pits hell. The rogues drop Matt and Pidge, growling at their new target. More rogues fill the clearing.

 

Keith howls, and lunges for the nearest body.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may be a bit choppy, writing action is still a weak point. Hopefully, it isn't horrible. 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Twitter: @kibathecryptid 
> 
> Tumblr: kibamakara

Matt and Pidge barely had enough time to roll out of the way before Keith tackled the rouge behind them. They scrambled back, watching the dhampir tear apart the body under him.

 

“He can- he can shift? Matt what the fuck-” Pidge fumbled with her belt, trying to find her pistol. “I thought vampires only did that in movies?”

 

“Apparently, humans got some things right. Worry about it later!” Matt grabbed her by the hand, yanking Pidge closer as they backed away from the rouges surrounding Keith. The dhampir sank his fangs into one body after another, always having to toss them aside to go after another one that had pounced him.

 

Keith managed to throw the rouges off him long enough to get between them and the Holt siblings. Blood dripped off his muzzle as he snarled, his wounds trying to knit themselves together. They could see the muscles and flesh on his stump leg attempting to grow back, to fuse back together and reform his limb.

 

“Matt, Pidge, just- just let us take him. I need his blood, I can save your mother and myself-” Sam approached, but stopped when a bullet ripped into his shoulder.

 

“Fuck you! I  _ knew  _ something was off with you and mom!” Pidge aimed for his head, her face twisted into a snarl.

 

“You can't reverse vampirism, dad. It isn't possible!” Matt raised his weapon too, standing next to Keith. “You aren't getting him, and neither is Lotor.”

 

There was a tense moment of silence before Keith howled, twisting around quickly and knocking Matt and Pidge to the ground. There was the sound of a cannon shot, a bright light illuminated the clearing, and the sky exploded into silver daggers. Pidge flinched when a silver pole sunk into the ground near her head, shrieks and wails filling the clearing. Her gaze shot up to where Keith was hovering over them, eyes widening. Rivulets of golden red blood dripped between his clenched teeth.

 

“F- fuck- Keith, hey-” Pidge flinched again when he snarled, whipping around and bolting towards the nearest vampire, sinking his teeth into it. It thrashed in his jaws before it fell limp, the blood drained from it.

 

Keith spit it out, wobbling where he stood, chest heaving, his flesh sizzled around the spikes embedded in his back. Matt got up, ignoring the weak snarls from the rouges around them.

 

“Keith?” Matt frowned when he was ignored, the dhampir limping towards another body and draining its blood. His eyes widened when some of Keith's smaller wounds healed immediately, and realization hit him.

 

Human blood wasn't enough for Keith, and it never would be. He needed vampire blood as well.

 

“Keith, Keith listen to me.” Matt held his arms out, slowly approaching the dhampir. “We need to get you to the mansion. We have what you need there, ok?”

 

A whine left Keith's throat, and he crouched, chest heaving. Pidge joined Matt, side glancing where their father lay.

 

“Come on, bud. We'll get those spikes out, yeah?” She moved into his line of sight when he turned his head towards Sam. “Don't look at him, focus on us.”

 

Keith's next whine ended on a growl as Garrison cadets entered the clearing, weapons raised. He howled again, surging forward towards the siblings. Matt and Pidge had just enough time to grab onto him and haul themselves onto his back as he bolted. Trees blurred past them, and the mansion soon came into view.

 

“Keith, the window!” Matt covered Pidge's head with his arm as Keith broke through the glass, sending the siblings tumbling off his back.

 

Pidge got to her feet before her brother, moving quickly back to Keith's side where he lay in the broken glass. The dhampir wheezed and twitched, trying to get to his feet. Blood oozed from his wounds.

 

“Keith, don't move. Don't move I need to get the spikes out-” she wrapped her hands around one of the spikes, and pulled as hard as she could. Keith shrieked as it was yanked from his flesh, claws scrabbling against the floor.

 

“H-hold on, I can, I can get the next one…” Pidge was in tears, and she kicked in Matt's hold when he pulled her away from Keith as Allura came in from the other room.

 

“The others are on their way back.” Allura blanched at the state Keith was in, but set her jaw in determination. She drew out a small knife from her pocket, slicing her palm open. Keith's nostrils flared, and he staggered to his feet, following Allura. Pidge and Matt followed close behind them as the witch led Keith to her work room.

 

Allura got him to the middle of the room, into a circle she kept on the floor. Normally, she used it when Shiro or Lance were frenzied, or when they had a rouge that they were trying to get information from. It kept a vampire in place, for the safety of whoever was in the room. Keith snarled once he realized he couldn't move, but his limbs gave out, sending him to the floor again.

 

She began to chant just as Shiro and Lance ran into the room with Kolivan and Thace, freezing as they looked at Keith. A glow surrounded him, and the spikes were quickly pulled from his back. The dhampir didn't make a noise this time, his eyes distant and glassy. Allura stopped chanting, powering down the sigil. Shiro and Lance quickly went to the dhampir's side as he shifted out of his wolf form.

 

“Fuck- Keith? Keith, baby, what happened?” Shiro patted his cheek, panic gripping his heart the more he took in Keith's injuries. His eyes widened when he saw what was left of Keith's leg.

 

“Shit, Shiro, this is bad. What do we do?” Lance growled when he was pulled away from Keith, being sat next to Shiro as the Blade leader chained Keith to the floor.

 

“Matt, Pidge, Allura, out.” Kolivan tightened the shackles around Keith's wrists and neck, keeping him low to the floor. “We'll need blood packs, as many as you can bring.”

 

“I- I think he needs-” Matt started, taking a step back when Keith tugged at the chains and snarled.

 

“We know, I'll handle it.” Kolivan turned to Shiro and Lance as the others left the room. “You two imprinted on him, yes?”

 

“Yeah, but-”

 

“We don't think he imprinted on us-”

 

Kolivan looked them over, his jaw set. “Thace, get the bars. Shiro, come here.”

 

Shiro immediately obeyed, a wounded noise leaving him when Keith lunged at him. “Keith-”

 

“He won't understand you, he's running on base instincts.” Kolivan checked the shackles, ignoring Keith's attempts to lunge at him. “Dhampirs can't survive solely on human blood.”

 

“How do you know?” Shiro frowned. He trusted Kolivan, the Blade leader being much older than he was, but there was little information on dhampirs.

 

“Kit…” Kolivan took a deep breath. “His father was a Blade.”

 

Thace held Keith's head up, a set of bars in his free hand. He nodded towards Kolivan, and the Blade leader pulled Shiro closer.

 

“You and Lance will take turns letting him feed. Thace and I will unlatch him before he drains you.” Kolivan moved to Keith's side.

 

Shiro nodded, giving Lance a reassuring look before he knelt near Keith. He moved in, lifting his arm and held it close. Keith snarled, lunging forward and sunk his fangs into Shiro's flesh. He winced, moving his hand to the back of Keith's head. The bite hurt, and it was weird feeling the pull in his veins. He cradled Keith's head, cooing to him softly. Shiro's heart clenched when he noticed the tears rolling down Keith's face.

 

“...his leg is growing back…” Lance's jaw dropped, watching the ragged flesh and bone knit and reform itself back together.

 

Thace and Kolivan wedged the bars between Keith's fangs when Shiro began to sway, prying his jaws apart and pulling Shiro's arm from him. Keith whined, trying to chase the source. Lance shuffled forward and took Shiro's place as the others came back. The dhampir bit into Lance's arm as soon as he pressed it to his lips.

 

“We've got you, mi amor, we've got you…”

 

Keith trembled, tugging on the chains desperately when he was pulled away from Lance. He was  _ hungry,  _ so hungry. He wanted  _ more,  _ and they kept taking it away from him. He whined again, feeling the exhaustion settle into his bones. The cool hands on his body soothed the flames under his skin, and he pressed his face towards what was pressed against it.

 

He was hungry, but whoever was feeding him was quelling it. Finally, he didn't feel like he was starving. There was a soothing sound in his ear, but the hunger and pain flared again. He shrieked.

 

_ “Easy, Keith. You'll be alright soon….” _


	11. Chapter 11

This fic is being rewritten under the title "Nightwalker". I'll leave this posted for the rest of October so those who have it bookmarked can either delete it or switch to the new fic.

Sorry.


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